[Playing…] Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge — The resurgence of the Beat’em up

Well, well... It's time to talk about the Beat'em up of the moment: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge. And it seems that everyone has gone crazy with this title developed by the Tribute Games studio and with Dotemu as editor, the latter studio that has already given us wonders like the Street of Rage 4, and has once again demonstrated that Beat'em up is his style. By now we know that TMNT: Shredder's Revenge has sold more than a million copies and that it has received outstanding reviews, but what makes this title have renewed interest in the genre?

We find a game that respects the classic line of the genre as much as possible, including its graphics, its side scrolling, its mechanics and, ultimately, its playability and its "spirit." Play Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge supposes a trip in time to the classics that in the 80s and 90s were the kings of the arcades. I want to highlight the absolutely perfect controls, both in their handling with the crosshead and with the Joystick, vital when it comes to this type of video games and, as happened with the Street of Rage 4, his soundtrack deserves separate mention. A perfect setting in the purest retro style that seems to be a strong point in the titles that are resurrecting Beat'em up.

He story mode This game consists of 16 phases with varied designs, in terms of the scenarios and also the designs of the enemies, with a total of 6 playable characters and a seventh that is unlockable upon completing the campaign for the first time. Each of them has its own statistics and a maximum of 10 achievable levels that will cost you to kill many enemies (around 2,000).

With these numbers we can ensure a perfect duration, neither too short nor too long, but with a wonderful replayability component. The fact of having the possibility to play it on-line With a group of up to 6 players, it turns the campaign into a frenetic game in which everyone wins. Achievements and game objectives that are unlocked during the game will also be unlocked for the rest of the players, which is appreciated since not only the host of the game will benefit from online play, but it is a group game. It must be added that, in addition, it has various collectibles and side quests that can lengthen the gaming experience and that proposes new objectives that always encourage you to stay glued to the controller for a few hours.

On the other hand, in addition to the campaign mode, we can find the arcade mode, more challenging and aimed at the most "vintage" and veterans. In arcade mode you will only have the lives you have on you (in addition to those you can obtain by earning points during the game) and you will only be able to use the character chosen at the beginning of the game, unlike in the campaign. In this mode there will be no collectibles, but the challenge becomes more interesting for those experienced in the genre. Despite everything, and also as a strong point of this title, It is generally simple: easy to learn its mechanics, menus, find your way around the map, finish it and enjoy it.

The design and artistic style of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge It is a delight, a tribute to the retro that knows how to infiltrate the new times without losing sight of its origins. A very well defined pixel art style and colorful, but which, as I mentioned previously, has magnificent gameplay and character management. Each of the characters feels different, with different levels of agility or strength that change the gameplay experience, but you should at least try it if you want to unlock all the possible endings. These different endings barely differ in a scene just before the credits, but for achievement and trophy hunters it will be a goal to achieve. Its physical edition will not reach stores (at least in Spain) until next July 29, both with a standard version and the collector's edition, and it is presented at a very interesting price (especially for these times), about €40 and is available on all platforms.

It seems that the Beat'em up han vuelto para quedarse, un estilo que llevaba muchos años olvidado, sin nuevos títulos que diesen una vuelta de tuerca a este género, pero es un secreto a voces aquello de que lo retro está de moda. Desde hace unos años parece que los Beat’em up se revitalizan y regresan con mas fuerza que nunca.